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It’s not too often we hear stories of true, genuine American heroes. Command Master Chief Navy SEAL Steve Viola is one such hero. He’s a man that has seen just about everything and overcome every variety of challenge that life has posed him with. Overcoming these issues, Steve says, is all about how you approach them.

Garth, Hannah and Steve at Steve’s 30 year retirement ceremony.

There’s two ways to do something. The right way, or again. In Steve’s eyes, failures are not a bad thing. They are instead an opportunity to learn and improve. It’s all about humbleness. The ability to analyze and learn from your mistakes is what separates the achievers from those who merely try. Although highly decorated, Steve’s path to heroism was not without obstacles. Initially, Steve desired to do a 2 year service and return to college, however during his term a friend convinced him to attend BUD/S or Basic Underwater Demolitions/SEAL training. After a grueling 6 weeks of SEAL training, Steve failed the running test by only two seconds. Determined to prove himself, he returned 6 months later, only to fail the water treading test. You know what they say, the third time’s the charm. After finally passing BUD/S, Steve was deployed in the Gulf War. Sometime during his service, he was recommended to attend the Green Beret Medic School. During his attendance there, he failed the final exam by only a few points. This meant he had to repeat the course from day 1. Steve doesn’t look at the setbacks as detrimental however, instead viewing them as beneficial. Steve says that repeating all of the training for BUD/S and the Green Beret Medic School only made him better at it because he had been practicing it for so long.

Steve says that your failures do not define you. He comes from a community where the difficult is done immediately, and the impossible is done by appointment. Everyone is a work in progress and learning from your mistakes is what gives us the ability to improve ourselves. In his words, his primary mission is to help everyone willing to improve to succeed in life. Take it from someone who’s seen everything and overcome countless adversities, if you have a capable attitude you will see results!

This year’s Prosperity Camp was such a fun and fulfilling experience! For those that don’t know, Prosperity Camp is a 2-day seminar created by Greg Reid where the lucky few that attend have the opportunity to interview and discuss key points of business with a multitude of successful entrepreneurs. The energy, information, and networking we walked away with was invaluable and we left feeling completely fulfilled and ready to improve the way we approach running our company. Along the way we met so many interesting, amazing, and driven people who’s experiences gave valuable insights on many aspects of living your life to it’s full potential.

We at American Hat Maker’s are all about constant improvement in all aspects of life, so we of course jumped at the opportunity to attend such a useful event. Among those we met there was Jeff Hoffman. Jeff is a successful entrepreneur, proven CEO, worldwide motivational speaker, published author, film producer, and a producer of a Grammy-winning jazz album in 2015. He has been the founder of multiple startups, a CEO of both public and private companies, and has served as a senior executive in many capacities. Jeff has been part of a number of well-known companies, including Priceline.com. uBid.com, ColorJar, and more.

Just as the shopkeeper told Harry Potter, “The wand chooses the wizard…” so does the hat choose you!

It is not an unusual occurrence that someone will come into the shop and say they are “just looking” and don’t want our help. But they go on to try on hat after hat, looking for the “right one” while our sales person is standing by, hat in hand, waiting patiently.

You see, our sales people are trained hat whisperers, and they know how to listen. They can see the customer’s energy and can listen to which hat is calling to them.

Beth Watrous helping customers pick their perfect hat.

Our sales people may ask you a few questions to help narrow your options, such as:

Voodoo Hatter goes to lengths unseen to deliver the ultimate in handmade leather top hats. 19th Century style infused with fierce sensibility and a touch of dark energy make our Voodoo Top Hats essential to your subversive lifestyle.

The Caliber in red, black, cigar, and rattlesnake.

From hard-kicking rocker to brazen biker or neo-noir grifter, you will make a definitive statement wherever you go. We designed these bad asses to be the kinds of hats you can become known for wearing. Formed out of black or brown full-grain smooth leather, our toppers are built to last. The new additions feature remarkable airbrushed, laser engraved designs and eye catching rattlesnake skin overlay.

The Skull N Roses (design by Adam Rose)

Adam Rose of Fallen Owl Tattoo is an amazing tattoo artist who sends us his designs to be used in the production of our hats!

Voodoo Hatter lives for biker rallies! Whether it’s the Lone Star rally in Galveston, Texas or the world famous Sturgis Motorcycle Rally we love absolutely tearing it up with our fans and having a great time.This year’s rallies were especially great. As we attend more and more rallies, Voodoo Hatter becomes more and more recognizable among the community and being able to experience that first hand is incredible!

Downtown Sturgis 2016

Enjoying Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

Voodoo Hatter is even respected among celebrities! We’re absolutely delighted to see such a wide range of stars enjoying our hats!

It really isn’t hard to see why Voodoo Hatter is so well loved! When you put on a topper by Voodoo Hatter it invokes an adventurous spirit that’s sure to take you to new places! When it comes to Voodoo Hatter, the meek need not apply!

The 2016 Lone Star Motorcycle Rally was a huge success for American Hat Makers! We always have a blast bringing you the absolute highest quality handmade hats available! Here is what we saw and who we connected with.

This year, American Hat Makers sponsored the Perewitz Paint Show. Jody Perewitz is the first woman to break 200 miles per hour on an American – made motorcycle, so naturally we at American Hat Makers jumped at the opportunity to get involved with such a genuine badass! We were so happy to have the chance to partner up with Jody and her amazing team. They spent the entire rally promoting us and giving us shout outs on social media. They also put up banners at the Galvez Hotel! Jody was an absolute pleasure to work with, and we’re so glad she’s enjoying her hats and custom key-chains! It was a pleasure working with such great people. Thank you to the Perewitz team!

Jody fell in love with this style, the Skull N’ Roses! Designed by Adam Rose of Fallen Owl Tattoo, its laser engraved and airbrushed crown were right up her alley, and definitely set her apart from the crowd!

Jody & Hannah the Marketing Duo promoting each other throughout the whole Rally!

Dave & Dave hanging up sponsorship banners at the Galvez Hotel.

Chad, the winner of the Best Graphics Award and proud owner of a badass top hat from Voodoo Hatter! The trophy was designed by Fast Life Garage!

Dave Silva & Garth Watrous

Dave wearing the Skull N Roses top hat, which is a rare occasion he doesn’t normally wear hats.

Chopper Master and King of Flames, custom bike genius Dave Perewitz describes the long years, hard work, and unflagging passion that transformed him from a kid with his first motorcycle, a Harley-Davidson Sportster, into a star riding his creations across the television screens of America on Discovery Channel’s Biker Build-Off. Being able to work with a man who has been a major influence in the custom motorcycle industry for over 30 years offered us a rare look at how a self-taught designer, mechanic, painter, and fabricator managed to build the American dream his own way!

We met and connected with Karl and Jacquie from Progressive Motorcycle had a blast seeing them enjoy the rally with their new hats from American Hat Makers.

Where we sold a ton of hats and connected with our customers. One of our biggest highlights was being well-known in the Motorcycle Industry. Everyone knew who Voodoo Hatter was. “We had so much traction from Social Media to our booth it was a rewarding feeling” says Hannah Watrous Director of Marketing and Branding. We threw out T- shirts giveaways at shows, Voodoo Hatter was everywhere!

The streets were absolutely lined with top hats! Everybody was lookin’ so stylish!

Everyone that walked into our booth was amazed by all the different hats and the handmade craftsmanship. We are a luxury brand, our hats are a true investment that comes with a lifetime guarantee.

If you want a look that sets you apart from the average person and is handmade in America, We’ve got you covered. Stay tuned for the 2017 new hat styles we are working on.

That’s a wrap for the 2016 Lone Star Motorcycle Rally! See you guys next year!

Hats have been a staple of fashion and elegance for millennia. Glance over any picture of a crowd in the early 1900’s and you’d have a hard time finding anyone hat-less! Leaving your house without your hat was comparable to going to work without your pants! So what caused such a popular and widely used accessory to be phased out? During the early 1900’s, a renaissance of self-grooming habits arose which saw the first commercially released PH-Balanced shampoo. This discovery promoted showing off your hair, which would require leaving your hat at home. A May 1908 printing of the New York Times contained an article detailing the processes and benefits of shampooing, saying that hair that is “soft and glossy in appearance and texture” was of utmost desirability, thus encouraging many people to embrace these new hat-less style trends.

At the start of WWII, any non-essential resource or material was redirected for the wartime effort. This disrupted the availability of many of the materials necessary for the production of different hat styles. Fashion had to respond accordingly, and many man-made materials and alternative processes were developed to replace the scarce resources. Although millinery itself was unrestricted by law, due to extreme rationing, hats became largely unavailable simply due to the fact that they were not a necessary item. Average citizens could not justify using precious rationing coupons on something as frivolous as a hat. Men returning from war had just endured five years of regulated uniforms which did not include hats, and many were not eager to resume wearing them when they returned and simply hung up their helmets and abandoned head wear entirely.

Years after the end of WWII, President Dwight D. Eisenhower became a key player in the implementation of a national interstate highway system. His experiences during the 1919 Motor Transport Corps convoy, which was a long distance military convoy that traveled roughly 3000 miles from Washington D.C using the Lincoln Highway, gave him the knowledge necessary to design an effective transport system across the country. While serving as an allied general, he gained an appreciation for Germany’s Reichsautobahn system which was the early version of today’s Autobahn. Eisenhower noted at how quickly a central highway system could be used to deploy troops and resources necessary to combat an invasion or provide relief for an emergency.

With the implementation of a national highway system, transport in America shifted from bustling, cramped, public transport to using personal automobiles made available by companies such as Chevrolet and Ford. This shift from public to private transit is probably the most to blame for the decline in hats. When using public transit, a large portion of time is spent enduring the elements, whether walking to the bus station or sitting on a bench waiting for the bus to arrive. The unpredictability of the elements made it smart to wear an outfit that could be used in various weather conditions. Therefore, no outfit would be complete without a hat. As more and more citizens made the change to private transit, time spent outside while traveling dwindled greatly. This, coupled with the diminished headroom inside of the average car cabin, made it almost an inconvenience to wear a hat.
Presidents and hats have a very storied history.President John F. Kennedy’s inaugurational speech was the first ever to be broadcast to the nation in color. Coming only about 15 years after the first televised presidential speech, the importance of this event was not lost to the public. Wearing a hat to inauguration was commonplace, and even somewhat regarded as tradition. President John F. Kennedy shook this tradition and ditched his top hat after the first few sentences of his inaugural speech.

The impact of this gesture was noticed largely by the young baby boomers, who wished to resist the conformity of their parents and pave their own way.This decision is most widely regarded as the single most impactful event pertaining to the popularity of wearing hats, although the significance was probably increased due to various other social factors at that time.

As time went on, more and more radical hairstyles developed and the use of hair products continued to rise, with 1964 seeing hairspray as the top-selling beauty product. Rather than being decimated by the actions of one man, the hat was metaphorically hung up due to a rise in youth culture in the 1960’s and the suppression of formality in all areas of life.